The Truest Love She's Seen
by Dream Out Loud 18
Summary: "But it's when they are falling is hen she thinks: 'Now there is the truest love I've ever seen.'" Aphrodite's thoughts about the best couple since Paris and Helen. Takes place throughout the whole series of PJO and up until MoA. One-shot. Rated T because romance is apparently not good enough for kids. Cover owns to...well, everyone knows who the cover belongs to.


**Hellooo. I'm assuming everyone that is reading this has read the whole series of Percy Jackson and Heroes of Olympus until the Mark of Athena (WHY RICK WHY DO YOU LIKE TO TORTURE US WITH THE LONG WAIT FOR HOUSE OF HADES). This idea came up to me when I was thinking about love and then Aphrodite came up, which made me think of Percabeth, so...yeah. Random ideas at random times. Enjoy!**

**EDIT: Oh gods, I forgot that it was Helen and Paris, not Troy. Thanks Anon reviewer who brought this to my attention! So sorry! I've been reading it that way for so long I got confused! Sorry!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Percy Jackson & the Olympians, Heroes of Olympus, or anything else here that is relat****ed to Rick Riordan. The Greek gods are free spirits that belong to no one, so.**

**The Truest Love She's Seen**

Love is difficult to understand. It comes in many forms - it can be short, it can last and then die. Love has always been that one thing that one one has understood. Aphrodite takes pride in what she does. She can seem shallow to a lot of people, because that's the alternative they want to believe. Because no one understands her, like no one can understand love.

So Aphrodite plays around with love all the time. The thing with her is that she puts the feelings there, leaves them alone for awhile, cause disruption, and if they break apart because if it, it wasn't true love. That's how she found her main couples.

When she finds out about Percy Jackson and Annabeth Chase, her mind started racing. The son of Poseidon and the daughter of Athena...well, they were even a better star-crossed couple than Helen and Paris! She got to work immediately.

First, the summer after the quest for Zeus's lightning bolt, she left what she called _the thoughts_. The occasional "Wow Annabeth's hair smells good" and "Percy's cute" thoughts. And not only did they spend sometime together in a bubble under the sea, but Annabeth kissed Percy's cheek! All in one summer! Aphrodite didn't think that_ the thoughts_ could do such things.

Then, she put in the_ beginning feelings_. And even _that_ gave results. Percy distraught over Annabeth's kidnapping and sneaking on the quest to rescue her...they moved quickly, she thought, and after meeting the poor dear - he was such a handsome boy, why didn't her daughters pray to her about him? - she decided to give them _the obstacle_ in the form of Rachel Elizabeth Dare.

She wasn't going to interfere too much, _promise_. Just a bit of jealousy on Annabeth's part (honestly, Percy has been jealous of Luke a hundred times; it was only fair) and confusion with Percy. And it worked, didn't it?

Now, the whole goodbye kiss that Annabeth gave Percy on the _lips_ in Mount St. Helens? So beautiful she was going to cry every time she watched it! She had all of Percy and Annabeth's moments on recording, so can rewatch it whenever she liked.

And she would _love_ to have credit for landing Percy in Ogygia with Calypso, yet _another_ obstacle...but no. The credit goes to Hera. But it was _so_ cute to watch Percy choose Annabeth over Calypso!

The confusing romance continues, and Aphrodite continues to watch. The feelings begin to grow, without her help, so it's easier to plan their wedding without constantly doing something to their love life.

And finally, that long-awaited summer that her favorite couple has been dreading has arrived; the summer in which Percy will turn sixteen, thus the prophecy will come true. But there are other romances that she has to fawn over, so she puts Percabeth (their official ship name) to a pause, watching occasionally, but otherwise focusing on her daughter, Silena, with Hephaestus's son, Charles. They are just so_ sweet_ together!

But, unfortunately, her daughter's heart is broken when Charles died in that mission to delay Kronos's attack. Even Aphrodite is down, mourning the loss, before she looks up and suddenly, on the screen, Percy Jackson has fallen into the River Styx. And guess what makes him survive the painful experience?

A vision of Annabeth Chase. Now if _that_ isn't love, then Aphrodite is ugly.

And the way that Annabeth takes a knife in the shoulder for Percy? Further proof that Percabeth is heading to be true! Percy's protection? Aphrodite can't help but squeal like one of her daughters. But the best part is when Percy shows Annabeth his Achilles's spot. If that doesn't show trust - and trust nearly always leads to love - then she doesn't know what she would do if they didn't get together by the end of the summer.

When Aphrodite loses her daughter in battle, she can't help but just look away from the screen and weep silently for her child. For she is returning to her love, but even then, it hurt that your child was gone, sacrificed herself. She doesn't care that Silena was a spy. She was doing what she could to help camp, and she died a hero.

But when she finally accepts that her daughter is dead, Aphrodite looks up from where she was sitting in her throne, just as Percy was declining immortality for...for _Annabeth_.

Yep, Percy Jackson was definitely in love with Annabeth Chase. The cutest thing since Helen and Paris!

She continued to watch closely, as they celebrate quietly in the dining pavilion. As Percy struggles to find the words to express his feelings for Annabeth, and Aphrodite gave Annabeth a little push, and soon enough they were kissing. Mutually. _Finally!_

She was ready to kill the other campers, really, for interrupting, but soon was happy when they tossed them to the lake. Did they not realize that Percy was Poseidon's kid? He made a bubble around them, and they spent quite a time kissing underwater. So romantic. Aphrodite sighed. After years of waiting, Percabeth was finally together.

She left them alone for a few months. She worked with other couples - Chris and Clarisse were good so far, Travis and Katie needed some work - until Hera made Percy Jackson disappear from Camp Half-Blood. And sure, it was adorable watching Annabeth go out of her mind to find him, but Aphrodite found it a bit cruel that Percabeth were finally together and then had to be separated so soon. She _needed_ to talk to Hera about this. _She_ wasn't supposed to play around with Percy and Annabeth's love life, only Aphrodite did that!

Soon her daughter Piper, and Jupiter's son, Jason, entered as a couple, and she distracted herself with them. She knew Jason used to have feelings for the daughter of Bellona, Reyna, but she had other plans for Reyna. The ice queen needed someone funny and laid-back in her life, to balance her out. Someone like her husband's son, Leo. Hmm. That would work. She took a mental note about them.

Eight months, though, Aphrodite mused as she watched Annabeth grow desperate and working on the Argo II as hard as Leo did. She needed Percy. She could see it in the daughter of Athena's eyes, she needed Percy to complete her. Aphrodite turned her eyes to Percy, and was shocked to realize that the only thing he remembered was Annabeth's name. And Aphrodite swears on her duty as the goddess of love and beauty, she didn't make him remember. His heart was solely set on Annabeth, and she didn't place it there. _This is going beyond normal love._

So she leans back and enjoy the show. After Percy's quest and remembering his memories, the Greeks arrive to Camp Jupiter. And Aphrodite is pretty sure she let out a scream of delight as Percy and Annabeth rushed to each other and kissed - of course, Annabeth judo-flipped him later, but that's normal of Annabeth, so she didn't bother on that. The eight months of nearly no Percabeth was worth this wonderful reunion.

Now this quest...this quest Aphrodite liked. The night in the stables? The conversation was so sweet she had to scream in a pillow. The whole "You dropped this; I love you!" part after she talked with Annabeth in Charlestown? So romantic. Percy unwillingly letting Annabeth go on her solo quest? Sweet, because Percy knew that she was in danger and wanted to be with her, but understood it was her job...and it had to be alone. Aphrodite nearly cried.

Percy finds Annabeth in that parking lot after she defeated Arachne. But what happens next doesn't make her squeal with happiness or cry. It just leaves her staring in shock at the screen.

_"We're staying together. You're not getting away from me. Never again."_

_"As long as we're together."_

The words kept ringing in her head. She had never doubted their love for each other. She had always been impressed by the sheer intensity of their love - a love that she didn't even start, that they grew together. They were a better couple than Paris and Helen, Romeo and Juliet. They surpassed all other loves shes ever seen pass throughout the years. But it is when they are falling is when she thinks, "Now _there_ is the truest love I've ever seen."

**_The End_**

*::*::*

**Um, wow. I've never written something like this before. I hoped you guys liked how I wrote Aphrodite, and remember, tell me what you think with a review! I hoped you enjoyed it! Ask any questions if you want!**

**The Understanding OvO,**

**Dream Out Loud 18**


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